Demand on Eastbourne Foodbank has never been higher, according to new data

Eastbourne Foodbank said between April 2022-March 2023 it provided 31,486 food parcels – with 11,203 of those going to children.

The foodbank explained that it has also seen a 74 per cent increase on the same period in the previous year.

Nationally, the new figures from Trussell Trust show the network provided almost three million (2,986,203) emergency food parcels to people experiencing hardship over the past 12 months – with more than one million parcels going to children across the UK.

Eastbourne Foodbank’s campaigns manager Jess Holliday said: “These end-of-year statistics from the Trussell Trust show Eastbourne Foodbank’s busiest period to date, but we can see the national picture from across the network shows our town is not alone.

“What we are seeing here in our foodbank day in, day out, is a true reflection of what is happening across the country and this shows the importance of the Guarantee Our Essentials campaign to make sure Universal Credit is least enough to afford the essentials we all need to live.

“Locally, we have identified that council tax is causing significant hardship for the people we work with. As a result, we are calling for the council to end bailiff enforcement for all those in receipt of council tax reduction. Lewes District Council and Wealden District Council have both recently introduced 100 per cent council tax reduction to ease the burden for people on low incomes.

“Eastbourne Foodbank’s financial inclusion team will continue to work with clients to find every last penny they are entitled to, while the campaign team calls for systemic change. Our aim is always to lift people up and out of poverty.

“These end-of-year statistics are unacceptable. We stand firm in our commitment to doing everything we can to ensure the current situation changes. We look forward to a time when fewer people need our service, and ultimately hope to close the door on large-scale foodbanks.”

Eastbourne Borough Council said it will be launching a public consultation on a 100 per cent council tax reduction scheme.

The Trussell Trust is a network of foodbanks operating in almost every constituency across the UK. As part of this network, Eastbourne Foodbank is backing a national campaign and asking everyone to raise their concerns about the rising numbers of people who need to turn to foodbanks.

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